Living an Eco-Friendly Life: Kitchen
I’m one of those people that really want to be super environmentally friendly (I was in the environmental club in high school!) but cost and laziness sometimes impede that desire. Over the past 6 months, I’ve been working towards making changes to be more environmentally friendly, but it’s a slow journey (using up existing products, cost to buy new things, availability, etc.). I think doing something is better than doing nothing (perfection is the enemy of progress and whatnot). Making changes in areas I can helps me to feel better about things I can’t change or times where I use less environmentally friendly options.
I’ve split this up into a series because there’s a lot of changes that can be made in each area, and it was overwhelming to try to fit it into one post which made me think that it might be overwhelming to read. So today we’re starting with changes in the kitchen!
Reusable grocery bags: Honestly I have so many tote bags that I’ve gotten for free from various placed that I didn’t even need to buy any bags but there are tons of places out there to buy bags from (Trader Joes and Whole Foods have some great, sturdy bags but of course there’s always Amazon. The next problem is remembering that they’re in the trunk and actually bringing them into the store.
Reusable produce bags: Some stores sell reusable produce bags and/or bulk bags, but they’re also easy to find online. I like this list because it gives different options for different categories.
Reusable Ziplock/storage bags: This list has lots of options listed by different needs (kids, cloth, etc.). Stasher has multiple sizes and color options, so they’re my pick.
Plastic wrap: There are different options depending on what you’re using plastic wrap for, but these have some good, general options: 1, 2
Reusable straws: I talked about getting reusable straws for a while but, in all honesty, I was lazy and never did it. Luckily for Christmas, my mom bought me a set similar to this. If you prefer glass straws, there are plenty of options out there.
Case for reusable straws: Getting reusable straws was only one piece of the puzzle for me. I use a 3 or 4 different bags at any given time and I knew I needed to just keep straws in each of them. The set came with one bag but I wanted more so I could split them between my different purses so I bought a set similar to this.
Reusable utensils: Right now I just bring utensils from home which is not always the most convenient option, but definitely works. Amazon has lots of options from metal to bamboo, with or without a case, etc.
Reusable water bottles/thermoses: I have a Hydro Flask which I love, but there are tons of other options like Yeti, Klean Kanteen, S’well, etc. With a lot of bottles there are different lid options, so everyone should be able to find something that works for them.
It takes more time to bring your reusable cup to Starbucks instead of mobile ordering, but think about how many cups you could save from being used!